Hay-ladder fastener.



J. OGLE. HAY LADDER PASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY12. I906.

PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

2 SHEETFBHEET 1.

(ltbpnwS I. OGLE.

HAY LADDER FASTENER. APPLICATION FILED'JULY 12. 1906.

'PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

JAMES OGLE, OF WINGATE, INDIANA.

HAY-LADDER FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed July 12,1906. Serial No. 325,962.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES OGLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wingate, in the county of Montgomery, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hay-Ladder Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention; such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has reference to hay-frame clamps, its object consisting in the provision of a device of that nature by means of which the sills and cross-beams of a hay-frame may be fastened together without the use of bolts. To this end each clamp comprises upper and lower plates connected by a series of bars, the spaces between which form openings through which one of the sills and the corresponding cross-beam pass, the plates serving as means for retaining the sill and crossbeam in place.

Further improvements include the provision in each clamp of a presser-plate bearing upon the upper face of the cross-beam and the means for regulating the pressure of the said plate upon the cross-beams.

The invention will be clearly understood from a consideration of the following detailed description and from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a hay-frame the sills and beams of which are connected by the improved clamps. Fig. 2 is an elevation of one of the clamps, showing a portion of one of the frame-sills and of one of the cross-beams in place thereon. Fig. 3 is a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 2.

Like parts are designated by corresponding reference-numerals in the several views.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the hay-frame shown comprises the usual outside beams 5, sills 6, and crossbeams 7, each cross-beam being connected with the sills by a pair of clamps 8.

Each clamp comprises upper and lower cir cular plates 9 and 10, fastened together by means of four rods or bars 11, arranged an equal distance from each other and secured at their opposite ends in seats formed in said plates. The space between any two successive bars is slightly greater than the thickness of the cross-beams and sills, so that the latter when in place therein can have no lateral movement.

Sills 6 are formed on their under faces with a series of wedge-shaped transverse openings 12, equal in number to the number of crossbeams and so arranged with respect to the clamps that they lie exactly between the outer pair of bars of each clamp, the width of each opening being approximately equal to the distance between the bars. A metal wedge 13, driven through one of said openings, will therefore be held firmly in place in the seat formed by said opening and the upper face of the lower plate 10 preventing any endwise movement of the sill and being itself held from lateral movement by bars 1 1, beyond which last it projects at both ends.

The several cross-beams 7 extend through the transverse openings between the clamp bars across the upper face of the sills and, as above stated, are held in place in the clamps by bars 11, any lateral movement of the cross-beams being thus prevented.

To regulate the pressure of the cross-beams upon the sills and at the same timeto prevent their endwise movement, each clamp is provided with a wedge-shaped metal presserplate 14:, secured to the end of a rod having a threaded portion working in a correspondingly-threaded opening in the upper plate 9, said rod being located midway between the several bars and having its threaded upper end projecting above the upper face of said plates and provided with a thumb-screw 15. It is thus possible to control the pressure of the presser-plates upon the cross-beams, and hence of the cross-beams upon the sills, the presser-plates when screwed down further serving as a means for preventing any endwise movement of the crossbeams.

To put the frame together, it is only necessary after having placed the clamps upon the sills, as above described, to move them longitudinally along the sills until the several openings 12 in the under face of the sills lie exactly between the front and rear pair of bars 11 in the corresponding clamps. The wedges 13 are then driven through said openings a sufiicient distance to prevent any endwise movement of the sills, and the several cross-beams 7 are in turn passed through their proper openings between the clampbars across the upper face of the sills. The pressure-plates 14 are then forced down upon the upper face of the cross-beams through the medium of the set-screws 15, and the wedges 13 are finally driven home. The several parts of the frame will thus be held firmly in position, any accidental movement or displacement lateral or endwise being entirely prevented by the bars and wedges.

In unshipping the frame the presser-plates are first raised from contact with the crossbeams, when the wedges may be easily driven out of their seats in the sills. The crossbeams are then withdrawn from the clamps and the latter removed from the sills.

The clamps are easily and cheaply manufactured from wood or metal and are adapted to any hay-frame of the ordinary construction, it being merely essential that the space between each pair of bars be slightly greater than the width of the sills and cross-beams. The several parts of the frame may be easily and quickly set up and unshipped and when once positioned are perfectly retained in place through the medium of the wedges, presserplates, and clamp-bars, any tendency to endwise or lateral movement being entirely prevented, while at the same time the use of spikes, bolts, or rivets of any kind, with the attendant defects, is obviated.

What is claimed is 1. A hay-frame including sills and crossbeams, and clamps for connecting the same together, each clamp including a pair of plates and pairs of spaced bars connecting said plates, the spaces between said bars forming openings through which the sills and crossbeams extend, and a member carried by one of said plates and movable into and out of contact with the corresponding cross-beam.

2. A hay-frame including sills and crossbeams, and clamps for connecting said parts together, each clamp including a pair of plates, pairs of spaced bars connecting said plates, the spaces between. said bars forming openings through which the sills and crossbeams extend, a resser-plate secured to the upper clamp-plate, and meansfor moving said prcsser-plate into and out of contact with the upper face of the cross-beams.

3. A hay-frame including sills and cross beams, said sills being formed on their under faces with a series of transverse openings corresponding in. number with the number of clamps clamps for connecting said sills and cross-beams and comprising upper and lower plates and spaced connecting-bars, the spaces between said bars forming openings through which the sills and cr0ss-beams project; a presser-plate secured to the upper plate of each clamp and adapted to be moved into and out of contact with the upper face ofthe corresponding cross-beam; and a wedge seated in each of said transverse openings for preventing endwise movement of the sills with respect to the clamps.

4. A hay-frame including upper and lower plates, bars connecting said plates, and spaced apart at equal distances from each other; a set-screw working through the upper plate and located midway between the several bars, said set-screw projecting on opposite sides of said. upper plate; and a presserplate secured to the lower end of said setscrew.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES OGLE.

WVitnesses:

SAMUEL OGLE, J. FRANK ROYALTY. 

